Most books that I write a review for are books that I enjoy reading. Occasionally, I’ll write a review for a book that I didn’t enjoy, but this particular book falls in a different category altogether. I didn’t enjoy this book at all, but at the same time, I needed to read it. I think all of us need to read it. The Creaking on the Stairs is Mez McConnell’s story of finding faith in God through childhood abuse (subtitle). McConnell writes this auto-biography in a way that intersperses personal story with biblical reflections. It is an incredibly hard book to read, not because the wording is difficult, but because the content is heart-wrenching.

Mez offers an extremely real look at his conversion story following heavy abuse in his childhood. There is a graphic nature to the book, but there is a graphic nature to abuse, so it fits. I was blown away by some of the things that Mez recounts, but it speaks to the reality of the horrors that so many have experienced and continue to experience. He provides hope in Jesus and a distinctly reformed viewpoint that God is sovereign even over the abuse that happened to him, which is an amazing viewpoint to take given what he has experienced and endured.

I did not experience an ounce of abuse growing up in my home, so I have no personal reference point for what the author describes. While I thank God for my parents and my childhood, I realize that others have experienced a much different path. I know that I am not the primary audience for the book, but through his writing McConnell helped me to see and understand at least a glimpse of what those other paths have looked like for so many of my brothers and sisters. And to be honest, I don’t really know how to help someone that has traveled those different paths. But Mez speaks to that as well, and graciously offers counsel for those of us looking to help others process their pain. On page 48, he writes “So this is a book for those of us who haven’t got a clue why we have suffered terrible traumas in our lives, either as children or adults.”

“So this is a book for those of us who haven’t got a clue why we have suffered terrible traumas in our lives, either as children or adults.”

Mez McConnell

The author does an incredible job pointing to the truth about God and how that comes to bear on his pain and suffering. He also explains how he has come to grips with the tragedy that he has endured, but he doesn’t side-step the difficult questions. He admits that he has experienced such a spectrum of emotions and questions that don’t have any answers, that only the Holy Spirit could rescue him from this trauma.

In most of my books, I underline all kinds of things and make notes to refer back to. This book wasn’t like that for me. Because of the nature of the book, there weren’t a lot of “quotable” things or even much that I underlined. Not that Mez doesn’t explain all sorts of biblical truth–he does and it’s helpful. I ended up reading it in one or two sittings, as I became immersed in his world. But I found myself putting my pen down and just reading and processing. It’s a book that you need to experience.

The Creaking on the Stairs is a book that takes you into a world that you will either find very familiar, or you will need to understand those who do find it familiar. It presents an opportunity for those who have experienced abuse to find comfort in a sovereign God. For those who haven’t personally experienced abuse, but are friends with those who have, you would do well to read this book. It will open your eyes to some of the horrors of abuse. Westminster Bookstore currently has it on sale.